» Cheer teams win awards at OSU camp

By Steve McCasland
Staff Writer
Thursday, August 28, 2008 | No comments posted. Two Bandon cheer teams received “Most Spirited” awards after participating in the three-day West Coast Extreme Cheer Camp held at Oregon State University Aug. 8-10.

Coach June Hinojosa said the entire 14-member Bandon High School cheer team participated. The team had been practicing two days a week since June, and now is working out Monday-Friday to get ready for football season.

“Our high schoolers went to camp as a beginning group,” Hinojosa said. “We performed a cheer on the first night of camp and got an outstanding rating. By the end of camp, we were considered extreme stunters and spirit leaders. Our team went from a beginning group to above an advanced group in just three days.

“We really learned some amazing pyramids that we’ll be performing at home games. This was the first time that we’ve had so many kids willing to do as much as they did to get as far as they did. And it’s the first time since I’ve been coaching that we have three complete stunt groups that can do extensions to cradles, which is huge. It’s just amazing how hard they’ve worked.”

Members of the BHS squad include seniors Alex Sylvester and Jordan Tipton (co-captains), Melinda Torres, Joliene Chaffee, Tyne Riddick and Corinna Warner; junior Alyssa Taylor; sophomores Haley Nolan and Lauren Remy; and freshmen Katie Neis, Andrew Frank, Jordan Chandler, Lucero Salcido and Cheryl Mack.

Sylvester, Tipton and Riddick tried out for and were selected for membership in the camp’s senior all-star team. Younger group performs well

Seven girls in grades 4 to 7 participated in the Corvallis camp as members of Bandon’s all-star cheer squad. The team came away from camp with “Most Spirited” and “Most Improved” awards.

Hinojosa explained that the younger team was selected in June following a camp presented here by the high school cheer squad. The 11-member team was chosen after nominations and try-outs at the end of the local camp.

After practicing two days a week for most of the summer, the young squad will perform at middle school football and volleyball games, and during halftime of some high school sporting events.

“At the Extreme Cheer Camp, our younger girls learned cheers, stunting and dances,” said Hinojosa. “They received an outstanding rating on a cheer on the first day of camp and, at the end, they got the ‘Most Spirited’ and ‘Most Improved’ awards.”

The young all-stars knew only one very short stunt routine going into camp, the coach said.  “When we left, they were performing much more intricate routines. They went from beginning to advanced in three days.”

She explained that the camp runs from 8 a.m. to 8 or 9 p.m. every day.

“Our team never complained and was always peppy. They were very polite young girls who did fantastic.”

The seven team members who went to camp included seventh-graders Elle Iverson, Emily Neis, Angelica Hennick and Brianna Wilson; fifth-graders Grace McMahon and Kori Nemec; and fourth-grader Mikaela Peters.

Receiving special all-star ribbons for their work at camp were Neis, Hennick, Nemec and Wilson.

The other four members of the team include seventh-graders Trinidee Grow and Carissa Guarino; fifth-grader Autumn Moss-Strong; and third-grader Aria Giovannetti.

Hinojosa noted that the high school team helped coach the younger all-stars throughout the summer.

“Both teams worked so hard,” she said. “We could never have asked for them to do more. They gave 100 percent. They were always cheerful and, despite being tired from the long hours at camp, still gave it everything they had.”